Potraz awareness campaigns bears fruit

Business ReporterThe Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) says it has made strides in driving consumer rights awareness among users of telecoms services through countrywide campaigns.

The telecoms industry regulator last held its consumer rights awareness campaign at Hama Business Centre in Chirumanzu where an estimated 3 000 local residents attended the event last Saturday.

Economics and Financial analysts Tatenda Munyaradzi, said consumers of telecoms services had several rights including right to freedom of choice, right to disclosure, right to be heard and right to protection.

Potraz increased its visibility as a regulator in most rural areas, after canvassing the country’s 10 provinces, teaching consumers on their rights, which also include the right to privacy and high quality services

The programme, started in 2016, has been popular with consumers who now have better knowledge of their rights and have also been able to use the platform to air out some of the grievances on postal and telecoms services.

“Our main purpose for this particular event in Chirumhanzi at Hama Business Centre is to interact with users of postal and telecoms services and to educate them on their rights.

“Consumers have several rights including the right to choose service provider of own choice, right to information and the right to protection from abuse by service providers and network operators,” he said.

The countrywide campaigns by Potraz have also been designed to educate consumers of postal and telecoms services how best to look after telecoms infrastructure used to deliver telecoms and postal services.

“The aim is also to help the young people and to protect them as they use the internet.

“The internet is critical for educational purposes, spreading knowledge and information. However, internet can also be a conduit through which harmful things can happen to young people, it may be used to harm kids,” he said.

“We also educate the consumers on measures they need to take whenever they encounter problems with service providers of postal and telecommunication services or get abused while using the internet,” he added.